Kanban vs Scrum: Which to Choose?

Choosing the right methodology when implementing any IT project is very important. Currently, such methodologies as Kanban and Scrum are very popular, both are used for agile development, but have differences in processes and focus. For those planning to develop an IT solution, in particular outsourcing tasks, it is important to understand the differences between them, as this allows you to optimize work, reduce risks and achieve a high-quality IT solution. It is interesting that some IT companies in Bulgaria, Ukraine, Poland can not only use both methodologies, but also combine them profitably to achieve even greater results. In this article, we will compare Kanban and Scrum in detail, consider their advantages to help you better understand how an IT team works.

What Is Scrum?

Let's start with Scrum — it is a very popular agile framework that helps teams to establish effective work and consistently deliver a valuable product. It provides a structure for iterative and incremental development, focusing on flexibility, collaboration and quick response to changes.

The modern Scrum development methodology is based on the so-called sprints. These are short, fixed-time cycles that usually last from one to four weeks. Each sprint is a mini-project that ends with the creation of a working component or module of the product — an increment.

At the beginning of each sprint, the team forms a plan (Sprint Planning), holds short stand-ups daily (Daily Scrum), and at the end — demonstrates the result (Sprint Review) and analyzes how to improve the work (Retrospective).

Advantages of Scrum

Using the Scrum methodology in an Agile environment has brought huge benefits to the software development industry:

1. Rapid delivery of value. Short sprints deliver working functionality more frequently, allowing for faster releases and faster feedback from users and the market.
2. Promoting product quality. Continuous testing and integration, as well as regular retrospectives, have a positive effect on the technical quality of the code and the product's compliance with business requirements.
3. Predictability. Although development requirements may change, sprints help all parties clearly understand which increments will be delivered in a certain period.
4. Minimizing risks. Regular reviews and iteration allow for timely identification of development issues and risks, preventing their escalation.
5. Motivating developers. Self-management, clear roles, and a sense of common purpose increase the involvement and motivation of the Scrum team, so developers work towards the result.

What Is Kanban?

Kanban is a project management system based on the principle of dividing the work volume into specific tasks. The main idea of kanban is to visualize the stages of the project: cards with tasks that need to be completed are placed on a special board. Each card contains the name, priority, and deadline for completing the task. Cards move along the board from one stage to another as the tasks are completed.

The main principles of Kanban include:

1. Visualization. Each task in Kanban is represented by a separate card that moves along the board through various stages of the workflow (e.g. Backlog, In Progress, Testing, Done). This provides visibility and instant understanding of the project status for the entire team and stakeholders.
2. Continuous flow. The goal of Kanban is to create a smooth, continuous flow of tasks through the system, minimizing delays and downtime. This is achieved by focusing on completing current tasks before taking on new ones.
3. Work in Progress Limits (WIP Limits). Each work stage (column on the board) has a maximum number of tasks that can be in it at one time. This prevents the team from becoming overwhelmed, promotes quality, reduces cycle time, and helps identify bottlenecks in processes. When a column reaches its WIP limit, it signals the need to focus on completing current tasks before taking on new ones.

How Scrum and Kanban Impacted Software Development

Scrum and Kanban have transformed the software development culture itself, making it more flexible, adaptive, and value-oriented. Without them, the high-tech world would look different today. Moreover, many IT firms in Bulgaria, Poland and other countries use the advantages of both methodologies simultaneously.

Scrum has become a cornerstone for product development, especially in areas with high uncertainty of requirements. Here are just a few key benefits that Scrum has brought to software development:

1. Stability. The sprint format helps the team release product increments regularly, which allows for faster feedback from users and the business.
2. High technical quality. This is achieved through continuous testing and integration within each sprint, as well as regular retrospectives that allow the team to improve its processes.
3. Transparency and alignment. Daily Scrums ensure team synchronization and help quickly remove impediments.

At the same time, Kanban has become a salvation for those IT areas where the volume and flow of tasks cannot be predicted, and the speed of response is of paramount importance. First of all, this is project support and maintenance. For such processes, the Kanban approach has brought a number of advantages:

1. Efficient management of unpredictable requests. Kanban allows you to quickly process incidents, bug reports and support requests, as it effectively visualizes and prioritizes them. Tasks can be taken into work immediately.
2. Visibility and optimization of the workflow. The Kanban board provides complete transparency of the task queue, their status and identifies "bottlenecks" in the support process. Limitation (WIP Limits) ensures that the team does not "get lost" among the tasks.
3. Accelerating the time to resolve the problem. Kanban focuses the team's attention on completing the tasks started and eliminates "blind spots" in the processes. This helps to reduce the cycle time — the interval from the beginning to the completion of the task, which is critical for operational efficiency.

Conclusion

Kanban and Scrum are two powerful agile development tools, each of which is effective in a certain context. Scrum is great for teams working in sprints and needing a clear structure, while Kanban will provide flexibility and transparency in projects with a continuous flow of tasks. Many IT companies in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Poland successfully apply them in practice — both separately and combining elements of both approaches. If you are looking for a technology partner that will help you build development processes correctly, we recommend paying attention to N-iX, which specializes in developing advanced IT solutions according to Agile methodologies.